The news of the perfidy of the Queen mother and princesses sweeps across the land and the papers are full of articles which say that this is the time for the King to prove that he is indeed just and that he puts the law above even family concerns by fulfilling his decree to punish the perpetrators, no matter who they are. The three women fall to their knees, begging for forgiveness and mercy. The King is agonized; he loves his family, believes that their repentance is sincere, and shrinks from subjecting them to that shame and suffering. But he cannot rescind his proclamation and go back on his word. To do so would show him to be unjust, untrustworthy, and dishonorable in the eyes of his subjects. Torn, he locks himself in his rooms, fasting as he tries to decide what to do.
"The king in him became a tyrant toward the mother’s son he was and demanded equal rights for all. The son and brother in him, on the other hand, became a rebel against the king and demanded pardon."
After a sleepless night, the King emerges from his rooms and orders that the executioner report to the town square and that the people assemble there. As the crowd gathers, the King leads his trembling mother gently by the arm, his sisters following, ashamed and scared, as they make there way to the square. The King, pale but resolute announces that, so that both his people and his enemies will know that in his kingdom there is equal justice for all, he is delivering his mother and sisters to the executioner to be whipped for their crimes, as he had decreed. Unable to watch as the executioner uncoils his whip, the King covers his face with his hands. As the sound of the whip cutting the air breaks through the stillness though, the King springs forward and grabs the executioner's arm before the lash can descend on his mother's slight form. He orders the executioner to let the women go, saying that he will take the lashes in their stead. He does so, then is carried back to the palace, unconscious, bleeding profusely, and more dead than alive. It takes him a long time to recuperate from his wounds, but his selfless actions have won over even his opponents and his kingdom is now at peace thanks to the King's wisdom, justice, and love.